1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a beverage bottle or container filling plant having a beverage bottle or container treatment arrangement and a method of operating a beverage bottle or container filling plant.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can possibly comprise a beverage filling machine, which is often a rotary filling machine, with a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position having a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material. The filling devices may have an apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined volume of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material.
Some beverage bottling plants may possibly comprise filling arrangements that receive a liquid beverage material from a toroidal or annular vessel, in which a supply of liquid beverage material is stored under pressure by a gas. The toroidal vessel may also be connected to at least one external reservoir or supply of liquid beverage material by a conduit or supply line. In some circumstances it may even be possible that a beverage bottling plant has two external supply reservoirs, each of which may be configured to store either the same liquid beverage product or different products. These reservoirs could possibly be connected to the toroidal or annular vessel by corresponding supply lines, conduits, or other arrangements. It is also possible that the external supply reservoirs could be in the form of simple storage tanks, or in the form of liquid beverage product mixers.
A wide variety of types of filling elements are used in filling machines in beverage bottling or container filling plants for dispensing a liquid product into bottles, cans or similar containers, including but not limited to filling processes that are carried out under counterpressure for the bottling of carbonated beverages. The apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material further comprises an apparatus that is designed to terminate the filling of the beverage bottles upon the liquid beverage filling material reaching the predetermined level in bottles. There may also be provided a conveyer arrangement that is designed to move bottles, for example, from an inspecting machine to the filling machine.
After a filling process has been completed, the filled beverage bottles are transported or conveyed to a closing machine, which is often a rotary closing machine. A revolving or rotary machine comprises a rotor, which revolves around a central, vertical machine axis. There may further be provided a conveyer arrangement configured to transfer filled bottles from the filling machine to the closing station. A transporting or conveying arrangement can utilize transport star wheels as well as linear conveyors. A closing machine closes bottles by applying a closure, such as a screw-top cap or a bottle cork, to a corresponding bottle mouth. Closed bottles are then usually conveyed to an information adding arrangement, wherein information, such as a product name or a manufacturer's information or logo, is applied to a bottle. A closing station and information adding arrangement may be connected by a corresponding conveyer arrangement. Bottles are then sorted and packaged for shipment out of the plant.
Many beverage bottling plants may also possibly comprise a rinsing arrangement or rinsing station to which new, non-return and/or even return bottles are fed, prior to being filled, by a conveyer arrangement, which can be a linear conveyor or a combination of a linear conveyor and a starwheel. Downstream of the rinsing arrangement or rinsing station, in the direction of travel, rinsed bottles are then transported to the beverage filling machine by a second conveyer arrangement that is formed, for example, by one or more starwheels that introduce bottles into the beverage filling machine.
It is a further possibility that a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can be controlled by a central control arrangement, which could be, for example, a computerized control system that monitors and controls the operation of the various stations and mechanisms of the beverage bottling plant.
In addition, beverage bottling plants may also comprise beverage bottle treatment arrangements or machines which treat the bottles with a treatment medium. An example of such a treatment arrangement could be a cleaning or sterilizing arrangement which cleans or sterilizes the bottles with either a treatment liquid, gas, or vapor, such as hydrogen peroxide.
The present application also relates to a metering and supplying system for the metered supplying of hydrogen peroxide to treatment heads of a device for hydrogen peroxide sterilization of packaging materials, said metering and supplying system including at least one storage container providing the hydrogen peroxide and a controllable connection between the at least one storage container and the respective treatment head. The present application also relates to a device for hydrogen peroxide sterilization of packaging materials, said device having a plurality of treatment heads for the introduction in each case of a heated hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium, comprising hydrogen peroxide and a vaporous and/or gaseous carrier, into the packaging materials to be sterilized and for the subsequent activating of the hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium, and having a metering and supplying system for the metered supplying of the hydrogen peroxide to the treatment heads.
The phrase “hydrogen peroxide sterilization” in terms of the present application means a sterilization of packaging materials by using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In this case, the hydrogen peroxide can be both in a sterilization medium or just the sole constituent of a sterilization medium. No difference is made between the two below and the term hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium is used below to include both.
“Packaging materials” in terms of the present application are, in one possible embodiment, bottles or similar containers, including KEGs, cans and tubes, but also other packaging, such as, for example, soft packaging or bags that have to be sterilized before the products, e.g. foodstuffs, drinks or tobacco, such as, for example beverages, or medicines, are introduced. The phrase “packaging materials” therefore covers virtually any type of containers, such as bottles, cans, boxes, packs, bags, pouches, kegs, etc., which can be used to contain a product, such as beverages, foods, medicines, and pharmaceuticals, for either storage or transport.
In some methods and devices for sterilizing packaging materials, the sterilizing may be done by using a hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium, which comprises hydrogen peroxide mixed with hot sterile air and is formed in treatment heads of the respective device for hydrogen peroxide sterilization. In the case of this method, with the hot hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium introduced into the packaging material via the respective treatment head, an hydrogen peroxide condensation film is formed by condensation on the inside surface of the cooler packaging material, said hydrogen peroxide condensation film then being activated in a subsequent activation phase by introducing a sterile hot gaseous and/or vaporous activating medium, for example by introducing hot sterile air, so that free oxygen radicals are created through the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and they react with the germs and contaminants that are present for sterilization.
In order to carry out high quality hydrogen peroxide sterilization, i.e. at a high sterilization rate, in one possible embodiment also with a high degree of reliability and also in a manner that is reproducible and also verifiable, and at the same time to keep the consumption of hydrogen peroxide at low as possible, precise metering or substantially precise metering or metering of the addition of hydrogen peroxide is necessary and/or desired when accumulating the hydrogen peroxide sterilization medium at the treatment heads used.
Some methods include a central ring line. A plurality of dosing points are supplied via corresponding valves to sterilize the interior surface of containers. The ring line is thereby in hydrodynamic communication with a central storage container from which sterilizing agent is re-supplied as necessary and/or desired. A known problem with this arrangement is that many sterilizing agents give off a large amount of gas and/or tend to form bubbles. These effects are very disadvantageous for an exact fluid dosing, of the type that is necessary in the beverage industry, for example.
To control the degasification, some methods propose that a controlled check valve for the gas phase be provided in the return line to the pump which allows the discharge of the gas phase. Some methods involve transporting hydrogen peroxide from a central storage container via a ring line to the individual treatment points, whereby upstream of the dosing units metering devices are provided in which the fluid level is set to the quantity of fluid to be vaporized. These storage spaces are then blown out as necessary and/or desired. In systems with a great many dosing points this inclusion of the storage spaces and their blowing out leads to water hammers and increased bubble formation. Some methods propose the provision of a collecting container upstream of each dosing element, which is then emptied directly. This apparatus is very complex in terms of design and construction.